Good child care is hard to find

Dear Editor:I would like to commend Denise Hayes and Don Bluekamp, owners of Columbine Kids. My eldest son went there from age 2 to 6, and my youngest now attends. I am heartbroken that Columbine Kids are closing; they were a class act. We chose carefully when we picked Columbine Kids for our eldest son, who received deplorable care at another midvalley center. We found the philosophy at Columbine Kids to be one of mutual respect between the caregivers and the children, mixed in with Don’s silliness and magic tricks and Denise’s reliable knowledge and calm nature. Susie Arbany and all the other helpers were top-notch, too. Love was boundless, as was their commitment.With the closure of Columbine Kids, not only will my youngest son miss out on a great program for preschoolers, the community will have lost a business that put into the community, by setting up, in conjunction with the town of Basalt, the Basalt Earth Day Parade. Denise and Don have always been earth- and community-conscience. Quality day care is extremely hard to find. When we lose Columbine Kids, we lose a lot. All of us. It was privately owned, which meant there was no political game playing on the board of directors, no preferential treatment, no hissy fits – just a couple of people who put their heart and soul into their business.I know how tired Denise and Don are; how I wish they had a few more years left in them! But this is life, and it does change. I can only hope that someone, some great person with a heart of gold and a lot of gold in her or his pocket, will keep the business as a day care for our community – rather than paving paradise and putting up a parking lot.Annie Addison Uyehara (and family)Carbondale